Ha’azinu “Give Ear”
It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.
As Christians who profess our faith in Jesus, we study the Old Testament to understand the historical, cultural, and contextual background of the history of our heritage in Jesus. This is commonly known as the Messianic teachings of Christianity and is a part of our Saturday Church in Norman, Oklahoma.
While customs are not commandments there is beauty for believers in Jesus (Yeshua) to understand their identity as grafted into the covenants with Israel. As descendants of Abraham, all Christians are heirs according to the promise given to Abraham even before Sinai. Christians should study and learn the Torah and show respect for their Jewish brothers and sisters. It is through the study of the law that we see another level of greatness in Jesus who is the lawgiver and the greatest Torah teacher of all time.
Ha’azinu is the Hebrew title for “Give Ear” and is the name for the weekly Torah portion reading for the Book of Deuteronomy starting in chapter 32 verse 1 and going through verse 52.
It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah readings comes from the book of Hosea in chapter 14 verses 2 through verse 10, Micah chapter 7 verses 18 through verse 20, and Joel chapter 2 verses 15 through verse 27.
The gospel readings that are incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Matthew in chapter 18 with verses 21 through 35.
As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.
Torah Portion Overview-
The name of the fifty-third reading from the Torah is Ha’azinu, which means "give ear." The name is derived from the first word of the song of Moses: "Give ear (ha’azinu), O heavens, and let me speak" (Deuteronomy 32:1). Just like VaYalech, this Torah Portion is short and only one chapter long. The majority of this chapter is the famous Song of Moses. The Song of Moses is a prophetic warning to Israel about the cycles of apostasy that they will face in the future that will bring the wrath of God. The Song of Moses is a foreshadow of things to come after Moses's passing. The Song of Moses includes the Messianic advent amid vivid and terrifying apocalyptic narratives and imagery. At the conclusion of the song, Moses is then instructed to climb Mount Nebo and see the promised land before he passes from this life.
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Deuteronomy 31:30 The Song of Moses
Deuteronomy 32:48 Moses’s Death Foretold
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
The Sabbath that occurs during the Ten Days of Awe (repentance) between Rosh Hashanah and the day of Yom Kippur is known as Sabbath Shuva. This title comes from the first word of the HafTorah portion for this week which means to return. It alternately is known as Sabbath Teshuvah, which means a Sabbath of Repentance since it falls during the ten days of repentance (awe).
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Matthew 18:22 Jesus Instructs Peter on Forgiveness
Matthew 18:23 Jesus’ parable of the Kingdom
The Book of Deuteronomy “Devarim” which means “Words.”
The Old Testament is commonly referred to as the Torah. It is the most sacred of all of Israel’s Scriptures. Most of our modern Bibles include the Old Testament “Torah” as the first five books in the Bible. The name in Hebrew of the fifth book of the Bible (Deuteronomy) is Devarim. The name “Devarim” comes from one of the opening phrases in the book of Deuteronomy which means “Words,”
The Greek Septuagint is where we find the English name for “Deuteronomos” called “Deuteronomy.”
The book of Deuteronomy is primarily comprised of the farewell teachings of Moses to the children of Israel. Like all good prophets and leaders in the Torah, Moses encourages the children of Israel to remain faithful to the covenants they made with God.
Moses then continues to review the stories of the giving of the Torah at Sinai, the journey to the Promised Land, the review of some of the Torah laws, and the introduction to new laws.
It is also important to point out that the format of the book of Deuteronomy also follows a general pattern of Ancient Near Eastern treaty documents.
As Messianic Christians, we find the book of Deuteronomy and the stories therein, as a historical account of how we as believers are grafted into the covenants and promises of God with our forefathers and how we can learn to walk and learn from their actions.
To Watch an overview of this week’s Torah Portion CLICK HERE
